The following information is not intended to replace medical consultation or care.

How Do I Know If I'm Pregnant?

Maybe your period is a couple days late. Or, maybe you took a home pregnancy test and it’s positive. What do you do now?

The first step is to take a lab-quality pregnancy test to confirm your pregnancy. Caris offers these tests free of charge. It only takes a few minutes to get the results. If you are pregnant, our counselors are here to answer any questions. We will also explain our ultrasound service. Your counselor will give you an estimate of how far along you are.

What Do I Do If  I'm Pregnant?

We understand that an unplanned pregnancy can create many different emotions and a lot of things to consider. Deciding between parenting, adoption and abortion can feel overwhelming. Our professional counselors are here to provide the emotional support you need as you sort through what this means for you.

What Are My Next Steps?

Your Caris counselor will help you process and understand your next steps related to parenting, adoption and abortion.

Parenting means carrying the pregnancy to term, then raising your child. At Caris, we can talk through your questions and feelings about this possibility. If you want more information and support we can help connect you with Caris programs and community resources that help young women who are parenting.

Adoption means carrying the pregnancy to term, then choosing another family to care for and raise your child. There are different types of adoption and you can choose who the adoptive parents will be and remain in contact with the child, if you want to. A Caris counselor can answer questions and provide you with adoption information. We can also provide referrals to community adoption agencies.

Caris has no formal affiliations with any adoption agencies or programs.

Abortion means terminating the pregnancy. There are several types of abortion procedures. If you are thinking about abortion your Caris counselor will listen and help you process your thoughts and feelings about this decision. Abortion is a medical procedure. Because Caris is a counseling agency, we connect women with reputable, local health care organizations for all their medical needs related to unplanned pregnancy.

Caris does not perform abortions or refer to abortion providers.

How Can Caris Help?

In addition to the services offered here at Caris, we also work to connect women with other community resources. We can provide you with referrals to doctors, clinics and insurance programs. We can also connect you with parenting resources, childcare, long-term counseling and intervention services. We understand it takes all of us working together to ensure you get the support you need right now and in the long term.